Boston Strong students donate $894K
The Emerson students who created the highly successful Boston Strong T-shirts to raise money for victims of the Boston Marathon attacks capped their two-month campaign June 11 with a check to The One Fund for $893,940.
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino accepted the check on behalf of the fund, which was organized by him and Governor Deval Patrick.
“He just kept saying thank you. He was very grateful,” said Chris Dobens ’16, co-creator of the T-shirts.
A few hours later, a large group of Bostonians wearing the blue and yellow T-shirts arrived in Copley Square—just a few yards from the blast site—to participate in a photo shoot to commemorate the success of the operation, which began with the Emerson students trying to sell 110 T-shirts for The One Fund. More than 59,000 have been sold.
Nicholas Reynolds ’14, a T-shirt co-creator, said he is touched by how widely the shirts have been received, even from those most affected by the tragedy.
“Mery Daniel, who lost a leg in the explosion… wouldn’t do interviews or take pictures without wearing the shirt, which was amazing to hear,” Reynolds said.
With rain looming, about 50 people stopped by the memorial to the Marathon victims for photographs and to thank Dobens and Reynolds, who created the Boston Strong shirts in their Little Building dormitory within hours of the April 15 attacks.
